How to support your employees over the summer holidays

The summer holidays can be a stressful time for working parents. Consider these suggestions for the working parents in your team and remember, do check in on your employees’ wellbeing over a busy summer.

Leave options

Make sure your employees are aware of the different leave options available to them. Can they use parental leave? Carer’s leave? Dependant’s leave? How many days can they use per leave?

Use your resources wisely

Be creative with the resources you’ve got. Allow employees to use their parental leave in half or full day intervals, so if they use a half day, they can work during the remaining hours of the day.

Be truly flexible

Allow employees to work their set working hours in a pattern that suits them to support their wellbeing and helps them in balancing work and childcare.

Be understanding

Understand individual’s situations. Summer camps are expensive, and family may not live close by. Therefore, their children may be present during meetings and the working day. Embrace and understand this is a temporary solution.

Check in on your staff

Monitor your staff’s wellbeing. Check in on their wellbeing regularly and set realistic deadlines for work based on their availability.

NABS is here for you

Share the NABS Advice Line contact details if you think anyone in your team is struggling.

Support all members of the team

Make sure you support the non-working parents in the team too. Ensure their work/life balance is considered as they may be asked to cover projects of working parents over this period.

Take a moment of reflection

In September, ask your employees what did and didn’t work for them during the summer holidays. Pool these ideas to set as future working practices moving forward.